Dystopian Short

In the peninsula country of Raktsthaan, protruding from the India and Pakistan border in Asia, the draconic government decided that they, come what may, would build the tallest statue in the land. A monument for the god Taahya. Construction of the statue began, and the people of Raktsthaan, a poorer nation than its surrounding neighbors, by order of the dictator President and his commanders, were made to surrender all of their gold to the building of this monument. As the days passed, even more gold was forced from famine-stricken hands and malnourished stomachs. Intellectuals who opposed ...

Araanti—a sparkling oceanic world and jewel of the Federation of Humanities. Glinting skyscrapers tower above the world’s one continent and provide homes for its residents. Well... most of the residents. Qalupa may be Araantian. She may be from a planet of power and privilege. But she’s not one of them. No, she’s a barger. Those gleaming buildings on the mainland are nothing but a pretty sight to her. Though she’s an outcast to the rest of the world, to the people in her barge village, she’s just Qalupa and she likes it that way. She has her family; she has her community; and ...

A prison doctor escapes with a handsome inmate. Thom works as a doctor at a prison. He finds the jailbirds attractive, even though he knows he can never date one. Celtus, an inmate, gets slashed with a shank and must visit Dr. Thom’s office, and the attraction is immediate. It’s suffocating. Too bad there’s nothing the men while the cameras and other guards are watching. Not until a cyberattack hits the computers and leads to a prison break at the very moment that Celtus is in Dr. Thom’s office. Jailbreak is a fluffy and spicy standalone m/m short romance story with low angst, ...

Alien invaders take one of America’s most contentious issues, Gun Control, and use it for their interest.

In the 12 unforgettable tales of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, the strange is made familiar and the familiar strange, such that a girl growing wings on her legs feels like an ordinary rite of passage, while a bug-infested house becomes an impossible Kafkaesque nightmare. Each story builds a new world all its own: A group of children steal a haunted doll; a runaway bride encounters a sea monster; a vendor sells toy boxes that seemingly control the passage of time; an insomniac is seduced by the Sandman.

Children of the New World introduces listeners to a near-future world of social media implants, memory manufacturers, dangerously immersive virtual reality games, and alarmingly intuitive robots. Many of these characters live in a utopian future of instant connection and technological gratification that belies an unbridgeable human distance, while others inhabit a post-collapse landscape made primitive by disaster, which they must work to rebuild as we once did millennia ago.

Shelby is struggling with parenthood, marriage, a passive-aggressive mother, and unemployment. But she also has a sweet escape in her beloved Hallmark movies. When a secret admirer promises to sweep her away into a world of those same romantic tropes, the temptation is so heady, Shelby can already smell the pumpkin spice. But this rom-com dream has a whiff of conspiracy....

The title of this book means ‘broken door’ in Latin, and within these pages you’ll definitely find doorways to other worlds, some of them broken and some… perhaps better left closed. Dive through a wormhole into the interstellar adventure of Anomalies, or visit the international space station in the surreal Patchouli Puke. Empathize with the protagonist in Five Minutes From Now who knows when people are going to die, or learn how a life lived poorly can still ultimately make a difference in The Horizon Behind. Perhaps you’re an action or horror fan? Then How Bhutan Became the ...

"How do you stop yourself from growing up?" Unlock the continuing mind-bending possibilities of ethical and moral dilemmas with "After Dinner Conversation - Season Five," the next installment of the must-read collection of the best short stories from the critically acclaimed After Dinner Conversation magazine series. Spanning all genres, from science-fiction to historical fiction and everything in between, each story is guaranteed to captivate you and leave you questioning your own beliefs. Perfect for philosophy students and fiction lovers alike, each story comes with five suggested ...

A celestial entity sets out on an extraordinary quest to breathe life into a barren planet, weaving the foundations of existence itself. But as creation takes shape, unforeseen challenges arise, testing the limits of its power and purpose. "What a great fiction book about the cosmos! From the very first page, the story immerses you in the fascinating life of the cosmic builder, whose ability to create planetary life for the first time is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The vivid descriptions and imaginative storytelling by the author immediately draw you into this cosmic realm, making you ...

On the way home from a gym, Mary starts noticing a large man stalking her. Whenever she tells people about it, they mysteriously forget about it the next day. When her friend tries to help her catch this stalker, he gets kidnapped instead and a few minutes later, everyone forgets about him except her and two others... Book 1 - 5 of Surviving Destiny Series

Electronic Gags presents a chilling portrait of a dystopian United States ruled by a tyrant. After a military coup, the United States of America becomes an autocracy. To tighten his grip on power, President Brandon Ward, the megalomaniac at the helm of military dictatorship, introduces a new surveillance system that can monitor people’s offline conversations. Privacy is dead. Freddie’s life changes when the government arrests his best friend, Michael, for attending an opposition meeting. Michael’s mother accuses Freddie of betraying her son. Against all odds, Freddie must prove his ...

For three strangers whose paths will cross, the storm hasn’t even reached its peak. Two of them are the kind of climate scientists no one ever listens to in disaster movies. The third, against even icier opposition, has just moved to the Magnolia State to come out. Soon they’ll all be pushed closer to the edge, where the bracing winds of cataclysmic change can be so wildly liberating.

A scientist suffering from PTSD is faced with the terrible knowledge of the impending destruction of our species. In his desperate attempts to prevent humanity's fate, he commits violent acts and is branded a terrorist. How far would you go to save the planet from annihilation? Where do humans come from and how did we get here? Scientists have theorized about the human race's origins for many years. But no one was prepared for what was found in orbit, seven ancient alien probes that have been monitoring the planet for billions of years. The data and video images recorded inside them show ...

Need to Feed Another year. Another massacre looming. When the sun rises on the Old West town of Saltwater Junction, its residents will come face to face with two fierce predators. Vampires who stalk you in the sunlight and werewolves that transform with the sunrise. This story rewrites the legends and all you've ever known about these creatures of the night. A Vampire at Christmas A Vampire uses his riches and immortal skills to bring joy to those in need during the Christmas Season. It Sleeps at Dawn A Vampire stalks the Appalachian Mountains. A traditional Vampire who uses fangs instead ...

🔥"HUNGER GAMES Meets DIVERGENT—with a Gothic Twist!"🔥 🌟 From New York Times, USA TODAY and Amazon Top-100 Bestseller Tamara Rose Blodgett, comes a poignant glimpse into the emotional core of her #1 Dark Fantasy bestselling series. 💬 “Unexpected and beautiful... the perfect in-between moment of the series.” — Verified Reviewer What’s Inside: Set between Unrequited Death (Book 6) and For the Love of Death (Book 7), this 6,300-word novelette explores the quiet, sensual bond between two beloved side characters: John Terran and Tiff Weller. As the world unravels around them...

Dive into a world where danger lurks in every shadow and secrets are hidden in plain sight. In this gripping thriller anthology, you'll journey through the darkest corners of the human psyche, where the truth is a shifting enigma. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat as each story unfolds, pulling you deeper into a web of suspense, intrigue, and pulse-pounding action. From espionage in a post-apocalyptic world to a young man's desperate attempts to clear his name, these tales will keep your heart racing, your mind guessing, and your instincts sharpened. In this single-author anthology, ...

She signed the contract to survive. He dragged her into a fantasy she might never escape. Avery Stone didn’t expect the contract to feel like a descent into madness. She signed up for a second chance at fertility, nothing more. But the moment she steps into the simulation pod for her Syndicate-matched partner, everything fractures. Her body’s still hers… but her reality is not. Warlord Malik Thorne isn’t just a battle-scarred alpha from Tarketh Core. He’s a master of the Syndicate’s experimental Holo-Romance Park, and Avery is now trapped in a simulation that blurs the lines ...

Night Portals is a metaphysical anthology series that explores the hidden secrets of life around us. Twelve "What If" short stories from the mind of Ernie Howard. Immune is the third story in the series. Jakob the motel clerk opened a door one day. A door that should have stayed closed. Being immune to a virus that will kill off most of the world's population seems like winning the lottery at first. That is until you realize you killed most of the people you loved just by being around them. Sometimes the virus is in your mind. What would you do if you were the last person on Earth?

"One of Me - 2 Near Future Short Stories" is a gripping collection of two short stories set in a not-too-distant future, each unraveling compelling narratives that entwine technology, morality, and the human spirit. In "The Last Rejection" readers are introduced to a world startlingly similar to our own, but with an ominous twist. The story follows the journey of a frustrated job candidate who, after facing one rejection too many, embarks on a dark path of revenge. This tale masterfully explores the depths of desperation and the dangerous consequences of a society driven by cutthroat ...